


Danger Is Objective

by Lupo (LupoLight)



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: (Not tagged because it's not obvious), (These tags are heavy but the fic is mostly), Alternate Universe - Shifters, Connor (Detroit: Become Human) Being An Asshole, Detailed AU, Flirting, Fluff, Gavin Reed Not Being an Asshole, Gavin Reed is a Little Shit, Implied Daniel/Ralph/Rupert, Implied Simarkus, Implied/Referenced Ownership, Implied/Referenced Torture, Injury Recovery, Multi, Reverse AU(kinda), Revolution In the Background, Shifter AU, Sixty POV, Suggestive Themes, implied hankcon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-26
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 20:00:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 17,361
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29722467
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LupoLight/pseuds/Lupo
Summary: Sixty finds a severely injured black leopard in a warehouse, the ragged breathing the only indication he’s still /alive/. He could do his job, or he could save this life… Of course, he’s going to help out. Now only if the fucker would stop being so annoying, that would be great- it’s not like there’s a revolution or anything, or he could be found out any minute. No, not at all!====My submission for the DBH AU BB! Posts on Fridays and Saturdays!====
Relationships: Captain Allen/Upgraded Connor | RK900, CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60/Gavin Reed, Echo | Blue-Haired Traci/Ripple | Blue-Haired Traci's Girlfriend, Kara/Luther (Detroit: Become Human)
Comments: 11
Kudos: 21
Collections: DBH AU Big Bang 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I'm back! And with a *T-Rated* longfic whaaat? But hell yeah- Gav60 is a guilty ship of mine, and this is an AU I've been dying to write about. I still have so much more to touch on than what's covered in this story, so let me know if you guys like it! There's at least 4 ideas for sequels(and one prequel) in my head for this!
> 
> As always, huge shoutout to my alpha-reader and artist, Sabrina! I loved working with you again and I'm so excited for the art chapters because your art is so fucking gorgeous. Another shoutout to Mitch(stray_dog_sick), my wonderful beta reader, for helping correct flow, and also, for getting me stuck on the name Cain for Sixty, instead of Cecil.
> 
> And lastly, thank you to the DBH AU BB organizers! This has been super fun to work on and I'm glad to be part of this event!

“Fucking disturbances…” A low grumble broke the quiet of the empty neighborhood as puddles on the streets vibrated with the movements of far off tires. He looked down the road, sighing as the sun almost made the empty streets of West Side pleasant. Unnaturally empty, however, and Sixty was surprised by the lack of even animals roaming.  
  


He expected a group of cats or pack of dogs, maybe even a larger dog or two, but there was nothing. Not a soul. He made sure his gun was on him as he advanced towards the building. The door shut loudly in the lack of bustle, and he looked down to the nearest puddle. He could see the reflection of his dark coiffed hair, an absolute mess already, and rolled his eyes at the fear he momentarily felt.

  
  


After all, everywhere was empty. They were in the middle of a revolution, the heart of it even, no one was stupid enough to be out on the streets as the sun was setting. They  _ definitely _ shouldn’t be in an abandoned house, the roof of which was caving in on one side as the fence displayed a large, bloody hole. Wonderful. Pulling out a napkin, he ran it carefully along a wire, the fabric coming back wet.   
  


Fresh. He balled it up, leaving it to the side in case there was a body up ahead. It was another noise disturbance, the detective’s  _ tenth _ one this week. And it was  _ Wednesday _ . Every damn disturbance call had to be treated with care, because, as his boss said, ‘ _ You never know if it’s those animals or simply teenagers taking advantage of the chaos _ .’  
  


Either way, he couldn’t give a shit, but he checked each one out. As he moved into the building through a door cracked open, he kept his eyes forwards, for the most part, only flicking them down once to look at the trail of blood.

  
  


Advancing, he stopped as there was the sound of something creaking, then continued, determining it was just the structure. The whole shitting thing would collapse with a good gust of wind, but of course someone had to be in here, possibly already dead. “Will o’ wisp,” he mumbled, the analogy coming to him with a sense of irony. Then he paused, again, this time catching the faint sound of breathing.  
  


Not like that horror movie, barely-there gasp or any stupid shit like that. The sound was, unfortunately, human. It was wet, struggling, a ragged intake of air and exhale that sounded pained. “Detroit Police- call out!” No response, and Sixty looked as the blood trailed into the first room, light filtering in through the doorway.  
  


With no other option but forward, Sixty moved closer, calling out again. “Detroit Police.” No response, just the same labored breathing. He stepped forward, took a breath, and then rounded the corner. And whatever he expected, it was not this.  
  


It was no wonder there was no response- he was pretty sure  _ panthers _ didn’t have the ability to do so. A large black- he wasn’t sure if it was a leopard or a jaguar, so he was just going with panther at this point- laying on it’s side. The thing had several deep gashes in its side, bleeding onto the floor. His eyes strayed to its neck, seeing no collar there. Collarless.  _ Shit _ .  
  


He put his gun away, moving closer when the thing didn’t stir at his presence. He knelt beside it, reaching for its face, surprised when there was no reaction. He simply held the other’s face, teeth pulling his own bottom lip in to chew as he even turned its head. Completely out. Sixty pulled away, then looked around.

  
  


‘ _ Not a soul around, right. Anyone with half their brain that knows this one is here would stay far away. _ ’ Sixty swallowed, and looked down at it again. It- he, as he could see after looking there- was in not enough words, beautiful. Obviously not something from any zoo around here, and Sixty knew what he should do.  
  


He should call it in- that was part of his job now after all. This creature was dangerous, obviously unable to be trusted, and un-collared. He pressed around his neck, and there were no scars or bumps of one recently removed.  
  


The thing was, he couldn’t.  _ If _ it was a wild cat, he’d nurse it back to health and claim it got in his backyard somehow. If it wasn’t… he couldn’t hand this guy over to his death. He couldn’t. Getting up, he went back outside, looking around as he made sure nothing was nearby. Like whatever caused him this amount of damage.

  
  


But there was nothing. No animals still, and no people. A dead street. He popped the trunk of his Jetta, pulling out the first aid kit and a towel in there in case he got caught in the rain. He didn’t know what to do about the blood, so he just placed all his spare clothes on his backseat and hoped. Then he went back in. The thing still hadn’t moved, just harshly breathing. Sixty didn’t know much, but he did what he could, padding over the deep gashes on it’s stomach and legs. The most worrisome one was on his chest, a deep ‘x’, and he wasn’t even sure how this guy was  _ alive _ .  
  


Then again, it was just more evidence for his theory. Once the cat was patched up, he placed the large towel down and then rolled the cat over, getting a light growl. His body remained limp, and eyes never opened. Using the blanket, he carried the cat out to his car.  
  


Getting him in was a pain, and he was suddenly so glad that his house had an attached garage. The front half of the cat in, with an immense amount of effort, it was getting the ass end in that finally woke the fucker up.

  
  


Immediately, Sixty took note of his face, lifting and snarling. He noticed a scar across the muzzle, and bright grey eyes, with patches under his chin slightly more brown than black- now that sunlight hit him. The fucker looked pissed, which he honestly had no right to, and Sixty flipped him off for it. “Look, me and you both know you aren’t an escaped zoo animal, so quit the act you heavy fucking furball and nudge forward or the door is hitting your ass.”  
  


The cat blinked, the noise cutting off as if startled, and then pinned its ears back. Analyzing- Sixty recognized the look well from the lion at the station. When Sixty lied about a cat or came back, for the 5th time, empty-handed. When he bristled at Connor’s treatment of him. If it wasn’t obvious before it was now. But the cat he had simply huffed, scooting forward, and Sixty lifted his tail before closing the door.

  
  


Admittedly, spending a ride with a leopard behind you was something inherently  _ terrifying _ . Sixty gulped, continuously checking his rearview mirror, hearing nothing but his radio on low and the ragged breathing of the fucker behind him. And it wasn’t easy taking the back roads when he knew every minute spent out could mean another minute Connor caught on to him not being back yet.  
  


Shit. Right. Work. He picked up his phone, pulling up the quick dial number for his brother. Of course, he answered after two tones, his tired voice strained even over the phone. “Hello Sixty, I’m busy so if you could hurry this call up…”  
  


Sixty rolled his eyes, though he knew he couldn’t be too harsh on Connor. “Listen, just tell Captain I had to go home. That fucking disturbance call happened to be a prank some punk teens were doing, and I’m covered in fucking trash. I’m getting a shower and she can dock my pay if she doesn’t like it.”

  
  


There was a ‘ _ blegh _ ’ on the other end, and he could imagine the older brother even pinching his nose. “No no, I’ll cover for you. Get a shower before you get mistaken for an actual hobo.”  
  


“Fuck you, I look tastefully disheveled.”  
  


“You tell yourself that. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The phone was hung up, and Sixty scowled at it before throwing the offending object onto the seat. That’s when he heard it- a low ‘ _ er-ruff _ ’ of a growl and huffed out breath, rapidly. He looked into the mirror, only to see his belly moving rapidly. As if…  
  


“Quit laughing at me fucker or I’ll feed you dog food.” The noise only got louder, and Sixty felt the tip of his ears grow hot.  _ ‘Great, I’m being mocked by a big cat now. Lovely.’ _ He finally got to his road, so grateful for the quieter neighborhoods of Corktown when it meant his neighbors wouldn’t look twice at his slightly bloody appearance. He opened the garage door, cursing that he hadn’t fixed the hole on one side of it.

  
  


Look, a house this cheap had a couple problems, but it was a good house. He parked and closed the garage door, before getting out of the car. Heading to the back door with another lump swallowed down, the black leopard barely turned his head to him. “One blink for yes, two for no- got it?” A blink, and then the cat rolled his eyes. Sixty saw lips perk up, and he could’ve sworn that this fucker figured out how to  _ smirk _ as a cat.  
  


“Quit being sassy- I’ll find a worse threat than dog food. But- can you walk?” There was a pause, a swish of a tail before the other scooted forwards. He slid onto his front paws, claws stretching out for a second before the rest of his body followed suit. The ragged breathing was back, but the cat-  _ holy shit this thing was huge _ \- stood upright. “Alright, lean on me, we’ll get you inside.”  
  


He helped the panther inside, marvelling at the muscles under black fur. This guy was well fed, and he wondered if he belonged to someone and escaped, or didn’t belong in this shape. Either way, he was in it now, and Sixty was acutely aware of how much of an advantage the cat had on him. And vice versa.

  
  


He led the panther to the living room and quickly left to get some towels. Covering his throw pillows in towels, he pushed aside his coffee table to let the panther rest on the rug. The place- it wasn’t a mess. It had second hand leather furniture and wooden tables, a modern tv and a game system, and everything he needed for work.  
  


It wasn’t messy, but an empty water bottle rolled off the table, and there was no rush to organize anything. He pulled the blinds and curtains closed, making sure to lock up, and then finally focused on the cat.  
  


The panther. Him.  _ Fuck. _ “Well, shit. What do I do with you now?” The panther, having carefully moved everything into a nest, merely huffed, tail pointing to the tv. “Hm, sure. News good with you?” One blink, and then the tail pointed to the water bottle. Sixty could figure out that  _ meant _ water, but he was so used to Connor bitching that his place was a mess that he still rolled his eyes.

  
  


Turning the news on, there was something about a fire and he barely focused on it afterwards. Instead he had to debate on how wrong it was to be putting water in a bowl for the guy and if leftover spaghetti with pork in it was safe for the other to eat. Either way, that’s what he was getting. He didn’t actually have dog food, or any pet food, considering he was never one to have pets.   
  


Too much work, and he didn’t have the time with his job to take care of himself let alone an entirely dependent animal. He really hoped this guy would get that hint soon too. But once the food was heated up, he put in his own bowl to finish off the leftovers and sat both down in front of the black leopard. There was a deep rumble, and Sixty nearly went pale until he realized it was a purr. Or a bastardized attempt at one, as if the cat’s vocal cords weren’t meant for that. The other ate and drank, eyes on the tv and Sixty got his own food to join him.  
  


They spent several hours like this, and while Sixty barely paid attention to the news, his guest hadn’t looked away. No, he was personally busy thinking of how to make the toilet accessible to the fucking panther on his living room floor.

  
  


“Hey, eyes up for a second.” The cat looked back to him, blinking once. “Can you turn handles on a tub like this?” There was a pause, eyes looking at the floor and a swish of a tail before the panther’s head moved up and down. As if remembering himself, he blinked once. “Cool, so you can probably figure out where it is, but if you gotta piss do it in the tub and rinse it out I guess.” He really didn’t know what they were going to do if this guy had to take a shit, but he’d figure that out later. Maybe he could go outside at night.  
  


Pretty sure none of his neighbors knew what to look for.  
  


Then the idea hit him. “Actually, wait- you can open the back door maybe?” The huffs of air were definitely laughter, and Sixty flipped the panther off. “Fuck you- I’ll leave the back door unlocked. Try to not get caught by the neighbors.”

  
  


Another roll of the big cat’s eyes before he focused on the tv again. This time Sixty did too, seeing the leader of Jericho and another red head beside him raid another Shelterlife facility. Hoards of cats and dogs spilled out of the building, running about, weaving between the people standing there and cheering. Boxes of food were carried to a truck, and other boxes burnt on site. The bonfire was beautiful, and Sixty sighed, a small smile coming to his face.  
  


“ _ Mao _ .” The deep  _ meow _ from the panther had him jumping, not proud of it either.  
  


“Fucking what!” If his voice was a bit higher pitched than it was before, he really couldn’t be blamed for it. Again, the silent huffs of air escaped the other before he nodded to the tv.

  
  


Sixty wasn’t sure what he was being asked, so he shrugged. “Good fucking riddance,” was his reply, taking the empty bowls to the kitchen to soak. He felt eyes on him but ignored them. He had more important things to focus on than a leopard’s opinion of him, and he started making a grocery list to accommodate for the new guest.  
  


By the time he was done, the news was over, and he looked in the living room to see the black panther passed out. His breath wasn’t as ragged, but he still looked in pain. Sixty carefully reached down, running his hand along the cat’s face. Tracing the scar. But nothing happened, so he pulled back, throwing a blanket over the cat. He doubted he could read, so he didn’t bother with a note.  
  


Just made his way upstairs, sighing as he did so. This was so  _ fucked _ .


	2. Chapter 2

The next morning was just as amusing, if not more so. Sixty had issues sleeping, he knew this. He’d get to sleep around four just to get back up around seven. It wasn’t the best sleeping schedule, but it worked with enough energy drinks.

However, being woken up at six in the morning by the sound of a demented  _ demon _ with a hacksaw going  _ at it _ downstairs was not his usual routine. He quickly ran down, forgetting he had only a pair of briefs on. Not even normal briefs, but his favorite ones- ‘ _ This Is Not A Place of Honor _ ’ on the ass of them. 

  
  


Sixty had almost forgotten about the whole  _ ‘black leopard in his living room’  _ thing. There the fucker was, making that horrendous sawing sound, at six- six fourteen to be exact- in the  _ fucking _ morning. “Oh motherfucker, I am going to rip your vocal chords out.” The cat stopped its noise, head tilting a little bit as it rumbled, a huffing puff of air. Laughing.

“Not funny douche-nozzle! I have work in two hours. Why are you  _ like _ this?” Sixty groaned, trying to remember if he got two or three hours of sleep. He went to bed early, maybe he was lucky. Not that the cat seemed bothered, simply picking up the empty bowl that had held his food. “Really? Already?” He looked over him, noticing one thing different.

When he wasn’t making that horrific sound, he wasn’t breathing heavy either.  _ ‘He’s healing already, damn.’ _ Resigned to the fact he would need more food, Sixty moved to the kitchen, not bothering with clothes. Though he could feel eyes on him.

  
  


He got out some eggs and sausage and put it in a skillet, along with sliced potatoes. He wasn’t good at cooking much, but this mix or whatever was something he was used to making. Three guys around a table, one getting ready for work and the other two for school. Breakfast being set out, ate, cleaned up, and an empty house after. He shook himself out of the thought, sighing at his own age. 

Not that he was old, just that he already pigeon-holed himself into a job without enjoying- anything else. When the food was done, he didn’t bother trying to store leftovers. He scooped himself out some, and the rest went into the cat’s food bowl.

He brought it out, setting the bowl down beside him. “You’re going to have to wait until tonight to get anything else. I’ll stop somewhere and buy some fruit and shit that can be left out during the day, as well as some proper meat for you.”

  
  


A tail whacked his leg gently, curling around it then moving away. “You’re welcome.” He watched as the other sniffed and then started eating, only to break out in a loud, deep baritone growl-like purr. “Dude, it’s just breakfast mix?” He would feel horrible if this guy’s only introduction to cooked foods were his cooking. Maybe he could snag something off of Connor. 

Later though. Right now, he had to eat, shower, get changed, and worry about setting this place up to be panther friendly. Leopard. Jaguar. Whatever. “Blink once for jaguar or twice for leopard.”

The other seemed caught off guard, but shook his head side to side, resuming his food. “Real helpful,” came the mumble, but he let it go. He had bigger worries than regarding the cat by its proper species.

  
  


When they were both done eating, Sixty put the remote on the floor before standing up. “Alright, since I’m awake, I’m going to go get ready. Keep fucking quiet while I’m gone you shit, can’t have the neighbors getting curious. No- whatever the fuck that was that woke me up.” There was  _ definitely _ a grin then, but a nod as well.

Sixty walked over to the bathroom, going to the shower and climbing in after a moment. He didn’t take long, doing what he needed to do and being grateful for his inability to grow hair anywhere. Walking out, he was kind enough to keep a towel around his waist, brush still stuck in his hair as he walked upstairs to get changed. 

It wasn’t even ten minutes before he came back downstairs, wearing a simple green button up and black jeans that almost looked like work pants. He tried to look somewhat professional, though the top of the polo button-up was undone. The amount of fucks he could give to continuously fixing a collar and maintaining a wrinkle free look were  _ zero _ .

  
  


He got a rumble when the leopard looked over him, and flipped him off. “Keep your condescending noises to yourself. If it was up to me I’d head in with a Zelda t-shirt and shorts- too hot for this shit.” He tugged on the shirt but got his things together. “Remember, stay quiet, stay hidden. You know what happens if you don’t at this point.”

There was an actual growl then, tail thumping everywhere and he went for the garage door. “Uh… See you later then.”

  
  


Thankfully, getting to work was uneventful. Walking into the breakroom, Connor ribbed him a little for the early leave, getting at least one rookie to call him ‘the trash man’. When he ignored it though, everyone left him alone, and he only had to deal with Connor’s new ‘partner’ once. The man was burly, thick, and absolutely displeased to be there. A collar sat against his neck with ‘ _ Shelterlife _ ’ in glowing white, but besides that, he wore simple clothes and followed the other’s commands.

It annoyed Sixty. Pissed him off. The man was in no way attractive to him, grey shaggy hair paired with a beard, sharp blue eyes when they weren’t closed for a nap, and sharp teeth. But he didn’t deserve that stupid fucking collar. “Still working with Simba’s ugly twin I see.” 

Connor scoffed getting back to his seat with his own coffee. “Captain Stern wants us to comply with Shelterlife’s demands. I put aside my dislike for…” He inhaled sharply, lips pressing together as he looked over the man. “ _ Him _ \- to do as the captain asked. Unlike you, I refuse to remain childish when this could be a great opportunity to further my career.”

  
  


Sixty blinked, dead-faced before he rolled his eyes. “Every day you sound more like a robot and less like a  _ human _ .” The insult was not kind in the slightest, fully deserving of the paper thrown at him.

“I sound like I’m trying to get Lieutenant, which I am. I will do whatever Stern says. Besides, he’s got a controller. It’s not all that bad- I was hoping they’d approach you with an offer too.” Connor twirled the remote, just a small square device with a blue, yellow, and red button on it, and Sixty was damned if he didn’t notice the way Hank glared at it.

“I’d never partner with anyone Shelterlife sent. I don’t need a walking nose to help me with my job.” He scoffed, before turning back to his terminal. Earbuds placed in before Connor could say anymore, he settled with paperwork and waiting on labs.

  
  


Luckily, there were no disturbance calls to answer, and the only homicide he had to look at was open and closed, the husband in the other room failing at hiding the weapon. Thankfully, they had more gadgets than they did when his parents were alive, including a fingerprint scanner and the terminals at the station. He scanned the weapon, then the husband’s hands, and the match was instant.

The interview was short and simple, and Sixty felt good about opening and closing a case so quickly. All on his own- simply because he checked a basket of clothes. It felt really good, and getting a report back from forensics made him even happier, pouring himself over it and getting several new possible leads. None of them were pressing though, and his shift was up. Unlike Connor, he wasn’t sticking around for overtime to chase leads that could end up nowhere.

He had a guest to deal with anyway. “See you later shitlord, I’m heading to the store.”

  
  


Connor’s eye twitched slightly, glaring up at Sixty. “Have a good day,  _ Cain _ , and don’t forget to get more than Doritos this time.”

“Fuck you doubly so.” He flipped him off, much to the amusement of his partner who was laughing quietly.

He hated being name-dropped- it wasn’t that he hated the name Cain, it was just that he liked Sixty better. Just like their younger brother preferred Nines, he preferred Sixty. It wasn’t something to dwell on, he wouldn’t give Connor the satisfaction of pissing him off.

Instead he went to the store, starting to shop. Now, he knew jack shit about what a panther, let alone one as unique as his, would need to eat, he just knew that big cats liked meat. So he stocked up on some cheap meat, sales stuff and chicken, knowing that it really wouldn’t matter in the end. And he got vegetables and fruit, stuff he could leave out.   
  
He also got normal groceries, just so it wouldn’t look so obvious. Namely a shit ton of pasta and sauces, but also some stuff to make soup and another bag of potatoes. 

  
  


Thankfully, his cashier seemed to care even less than he did about the whole cart thing, scanning the items and bagging them without a look or question. Sixty caught him mouthing along to the song and let out a silent sigh of relief as he started reloading his cart. When everything was paid for, he went out and loaded his car before driving home.

It would suck carrying all of this in, but at least he had the garage. Entering the place with a couple bags, he saw his guest passed out on the couch now. Thankfully his big ass claws weren’t out, so it was spared from being torn up. He brought the bags in easily, the guy not even stirring until he started cooking.

And then that fucking  _ sound _ again. “Oh shut up and go back to sle- _ eep! _ ” He was headbutted by the panther, grey eyes mirthful as they looked up. “Oh, you’re up and about. Goodie. Stay out of my way while I cook- I can’t guarantee I  _ won’t _ catch something on fire.”

  
  


He could only describe the following look as  _ extremely _ concerned, to which he laughed, starting on some of the steaks since they were thawed and the easiest to do. He got some carrots to go with them, just boiling them after he cleaned and cut them. It was plenty for the both of them.

All in all, with nothing on fire or burnt, he put one steak on his plate along with some carrots and loaded the rest of the food into the leopard’s bowl, after cleaning it of course. “Maybe tomorrow I’ll try to make beef stew- something that’s more filling. As it stands- steak and carrot.” He turned, noticing the leopard was just sitting and watching until he moved for the living room.

Then he was followed, the cat always staying behind him. He would be concerned if he hadn’t spent so much time with him already. The food was sat down on the floor and he reclaimed his spot on the couch, leaving the rest for the other when he was done.

  
  


Eventually, they both finished, Sixty just setting the dishes aside to get a quick nap in. When he felt something against his face he awoke quickly, looking to the perpetrator, only to find it was the muzzle of his new friend. “Fuck off, I was sleeping.” Despite the grumble he got up, seeing he slept a little over an hour, and he took the dishes to the kitchen.

No one followed him this time, and he cleaned up from dinner and then set about making snacks for the other during the day. He read at some point about big cats getting cinnamon as treats, so he covered some apple slices in it. He wasn’t sure how much that applied for his panther friend, but it wouldn’t hurt. Ok he was pretty sure he was a leopard after looking at some pictures, he could be corrected later if that wasn’t the case.

Along with the apples, he cut up some vegetables and some jerky, setting up the tray for tomorrow and putting it in the fridge for tonight.   
  
  
Then he went back out, finding his seat stolen. “Jackass, you’re lucky I’m going to go shower and then play in the office for a bit.” He flicked his rear, only getting a purred yawn in response. His shower was brief, just fussing with his hair for a bit before he went into his office. It was- kind of an office. There was his work tablet, his large dual monitor setup, and some shelves with different merch, as well as some trophies from his time in school.

All in all, ‘office’ was a professional way of saying his streaming studio, as he sat down at the desk and put his headset on. Booting up a game, he streamed playing for a bit, glad the room had a lot of sound proofing and correcting so he wasn’t loud  _ everywhere _ . He gave it a couple hours before getting up and logging off for the night, smiling a bit more than before.

The large cat on his sofa was very much passed out, and he left him asleep as he went for his own bedroom. He didn’t fall asleep quickly, but at least it was peaceful.

  
  


Several days passed like this, each one the same as the last. Sixty would get up in the morning, cook for two, set snacks out for the hulking black beast that did nothing but sleep and torment him, go to work, come home, cook or reheat, shower, stream, sleep. It wasn’t too far from his schedule, except when it was.

The cat was relentless by day five in stopping him from streaming, and he rolled his eyes, eventually giving in as he was dragged back to the couch. At least the leopard seemed to be significantly better than when Sixty found him, as he moved around now with ease, even pushing and pulling him too. “What do you  _ want _ ?” he whined, two paws pushing on his hips to get him to sit on the couch. The panther followed suit, laying his head on the couch and grabbing the remote.

Sixty didn’t know whether to be impressed, amused, or annoyed by the fact he was getting forced to watch something by this guy, but he was laughing when he put on  _ Deadpool _ of all movies. “You fucking- alright- alright. If you want to watch something, I’m grabbing popcorn at least.” Pushing the head off, the fear of being bit or scratched long gone, he noticed perked ears and a swishing tail. “Yes I’ll share with you.”

  
  


Then the fucker started rumbling, not quite a purr but a repetitive growl to mimic one, and Sixty couldn’t stop the smile if he wanted to. Going into the kitchen for a few minutes, he came back out with popcorn to the sight of the panther, on his side, tail just flopping about. It was almost cute. He would have to explain the cat hairs on his couch eventually.

He sat back down, popcorn in his lap, and looked at the panther. He looked mostly healed near his neck, and the urge was killing him. Reaching out, grey eyes focused on him for a moment as his hand met the cat’s neck, scratching and petting the fur there. It was coarse, yet still somewhat smooth when petted the right way. And dirty as hell. “You need a fucking bath.” There was a chuff, and then his leg was head-butted, getting Sixty to laugh.

“I have tomorrow off, let’s give you a bath then, and check on your wounds.” He was sure he heard a grumble of a growl, but nothing else, and they continued watching the movie and sharing popcorn.

  
  


At the end of it, Sixty changed it to the news, and handed the panther the rest of the snack, which he ate with a deep purr. The first story on the news was that of Jericho again, but it was a speech from the leader. He was somewhere familiar, and it took Sixty a few moments to realize it was Stratford Tower. He blinked, then whistled lowly. “Brave aren’t they?” He supposed they had no other choice.

He got a rumble, like the sawing but much quieter, from his lap, and nodded in return. It cut to a video of the Jericho four parachuting out, and Sixty was damn well impressed with it.

The news continued, more reports of raided Shelterlife buildings, and more reports of missing  _ ‘pets’ _ , to which Sixty sneered at. He got up then, stretching a bit despite the protest. “Oh hush, get some sleep kitten, you’re getting a fucking bath tomorrow.” The fucker started that sawing noise, and Sixty moved to hold his mouth shut.

  
  


Having a brief stare off, it was broken as Sixty felt the cat’s tongue on his palm. “Agh! Stop being a little shit- you need a bath before you stink. No if, ands, or buts!” There was a glare, but Sixty didn’t really feel threatened by it. If he wanted to do something, he would’ve done it in the last week. Going upstairs, he flopped into bed with a loud yawn, snuggling into blankets.

His brain was filled with thoughts, sleep not finding him for a long time.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry this wasn't posted yesterday- I had to take a personal day yesterday to reset myself basically, but I'm good! In return, I'll be getting out today's chapter shortly after this one!

Sixty slept in longer as a result of his inability to fall asleep, only to be woken up by two heavy paws in his side, pushing insistently. He groaned, turning to face the black leopard’s grey eyes. “You fuck, I was sleeping.” The sentence felt familiar on his tongue, but the cat’s tongue on his shoulder did not. “Agh! Stop licking me you shit!”  
  


As the panther laughed, Sixty pushed him away, getting out of bed. “Besides- quit coming into my room! You got the rest of the house to explore, this is my little personal space.” He still moved to the dresser, grabbing some sweatpants and tying the string to keep them from falling off. He would be the first to admit that he wasn’t built. He was lithe, he did acrobatics and kept himself healthy for the job, but for thickness- he lacked. Not that he minded, he ran pretty fast and he had a lot of stamina, plus the best aim in the entire precinct.   
  


Shaking himself from the thoughts, he realized he’d smoothed his hand over his stomach, but he didn’t notice a pair of eyes watching every movement. Instead he got an old t-shirt out and shrugged it on, turning to face the furball he called a roommate. “Alright, bathroom, now.”

  
  


The cat threw his head back but listened, moving to the bathroom with Sixty following. Thankfully, he got in the tub, but Sixty could see how defensive he was. “Look, I’m not going to hurt you. You just really need a bath.” He grabbed the shower head, bringing it down and testing the water temperature while he listened to the low, annoyed rumble beside him.  
  


First things first, he removed the bandages, looking at the left-behind red marks. They were closed, but still very obviously healing. “Hey, after this, what about me ordering food? Something different- pizza? Chinese?” At the second option, there was a quick nod, and Sixty smiled. “Chinese it is, but this first.”   
  


He was careful, running the water completely over the cat’s body. Now he felt  _ built _ , nothing but pure muscle under his hands and Sixty wondered how much effort the guy needed to end someone. It couldn’t be much, obviously. If this guy wanted to remove someone from the census, he barely had to blink.

  
  


A tail hitting his face snapped him out of the thoughts, Sixty looking back to curious eyes. “Just- thinking of you ending a person. Wouldn’t take much for you, would it?” There was a snort, head tilted up proudly. It gave Sixty an opportunity to get under his neck wet. Now, with the panther soaked, he got out the conditioner, pouring it over his body, and then his own hands.  
  


It took a while to get all of the leopard soaped up, but after several minutes of purring loudly and a head pressed into his chest, he was completely cleaned. The water washed off dirty, and Sixty sighed at thinking of cleaning his couch too. “You’ll have to wait a few moments to lay back down, I’m going to wipe the couch off too.” He felt the nod, and after Sixty was sure he was rinsed off, he was at a loss of what to do.  
  


Like this, his fur reflected the light, sleek and  _ pretty _ . Sixty found he’d miss the leopard when he was fully healed and would leave. “Time to dry off.” He got up, grabbing three towels, and rubbing the first one down the leopard’s face and neck. Grey eyes watched him the whole time, much more sharp and focused than they were when Sixty found him.

  
  


Getting to his back, the first towel was already soaked. He started with the next one, rubbing down his back and sides, carefully of course. He left that one draped on him, and took the third towel to his underside and legs. “So many towels, you know I’m going to have to do a whole load of laundry just from washing you?” The huff he got in return had him smiling, and he could almost imagine a  _ ‘yeah yeah’ _ . It made him wonder what kind of voice the other had.  
  


If he’d ever find out. Getting one more towel, he finished drying the cat off before he set all the towels on the floor for the other to step onto. “Wait here while I clean off the couch and get you a blanket.” He left the room, wanting to be quick about this. As expected, the wipes from cleaning the couch were dirty and he groaned, just throwing them away before setting a blanket down out of his closet.  
  


“Alright furball! Come on out!” He got a loud grumble and laughed at it as the leopard stalked out and glared at him. Like this, Sixty could actually see the faint markings, and he wondered what would happen if he traced them. Then the cat climbed onto the couch and Sixty tucked him in. “Oh shut up, you’re clean now, you should be thanking me.”

  
  


All he got was that deep meow again, to which he laughed a bit more before settling onto his side of the couch. “I’m getting beef n’ broc, you just want like- a few things of sweet and sour chicken?” There was a nod to that, so Sixty ordered for the two of them. He noticed when the leopard scooted closer, and felt the head rest on his leg without having to look. Not even thinking about it, his hand rested on the top of the leopard’s head, rubbing where his ears were again.  
  


It was wonderfully calm, and honestly, he didn’t mind this. He didn’t know how long he could keep it up, but he didn’t mind this. “Hey… Uh, cat. You know… I know you’re probably gonna bail once you’ve healed up, and that’s fine… But if you want to stay, even after you have- door’s open. Can’t really give you a key, you don’t have pockets,” he got smacked for that one, grinning at his stupid joke, “but you’re welcome to stay. Don’t go inviting any friends though, I’m not a boarding house for a bunch of smarmy big cats.”  
  


He looked down, catching grey eyes meeting his own and looked away, feeling way too vulnerable under the intense glare. “I don’t know what you’re thinking, but it can’t be good, so stop. Don’t make a big deal out of this or I’ll find some ribbons to make a bow on your head while you sleep.” That got several quick puffs from the leopard, and despite himself, Sixty smiled.  
  


Yeah, he didn’t mind this.

  
  


Needless to say, the next week was the same. Another news report broke in the middle of it, and he heard the leopard  _ hiss _ . Come to find that two girls had been found at a club, and Sixty frowned seeing his own twin. The leopard whipped around, daring to glare at him, and he glared right back. “Twin, remember? I haven’t touched any of those cases so you can stop giving me those looks. I don’t like it either.”  
  


The leopard’s head dropped, but he still looked upset. Which was fair- Sixty watched as then each girl had the collar placed on her. Connor’s partner was nowhere to be seen,  _ naturally _ . He hated it, hated the response, wished that he could do more.  
  


But now the job wasn’t just needed for himself. He looked at the leopard, pissed and tail swishing, and knew if he lost his job now, they’d both be fucked. So he bit his tongue and just rubbed at the cat’s neck, knowing it calmed him.

  
  


But then the week finished up and Sixty got paid again. “Fuck yes, shitlord, I’m going to go shopping alright?” He called into the living room, watching a head poke up. The leopard looked fully healthy now, moving about regularly, even rough housing with Sixty. He expected him to just be gone at any moment. “Yeah, I’m getting more food since you chunked that whole shit ton of meat I got. Behave until I get back- no sawing!” One quick cough of the noise started, but Sixty glared, pointing his finger at the cat.  
  


Again, he swore the fucker smirked, but he stopped paying attention to him after. Sixty slipped out, heading to the store and making a list on his phone. It was a bit busier, nothing he couldn’t deal with, but he made sure to only get some of what he needed at one store, and move stores just in case.  
  


It was a longer trip though, with everyone out and about, so it took him a couple hours before he actually got home. Carrying as much as he could in, he waddled his way to the kitchen, putting things down before going back out. It was the second time he entered, as he looked for his leopard friend, that everything came to a screeching stop.

  
  


Sixty didn’t have a weapon on him, so he grabbed a can, ready to throw it at the stranger on the couch. “Identify yourself!” His voice was a shout, and apparently, the stranger had been asleep, because he startled visibly. Turning, Sixty could see his features clearly. Messy brown hair, a deep scar across his nose, a rough, untrimmed beard, and wide, metal grey eyes.  
  


The man halted for a moment, looking between Sixty’s hand and him, and then he  _ sawed _ , the deep noise coming out of his chest. It took not even a second for the can to fall to the floor, Sixty’s jaw dropping just a bit. “You… You fucking shit! You could’ve chosen a  _ better _ time!” The noise stopped and the man actually laughed. Something deep, breathy but not wheezing, just on the edge of a cackle.  
  


“Sorry! I thought I’d surprise you with it when you got back, but then I kinda passed out. Took a lot out of me, it’s been, fuck, well over a month.” His voice wasn’t as deep as Sixty expected, but it was rough and sure, Sixty had a thing for voices. And very specifically this guy’s now.  _ Great _ .

  
  


Sixty sighed, picking up the can that thankfully didn’t break open. “Great, great- we’ll talk about this in a  _ moment _ , right now, can you help with the groceries?”  
  


“Eh, not really?” Sixty glared, daring the other to explain himself. “I have no clothes on, just this blanket, so unless you want to see my naked ass, I need clothes.” Oh- blinking, he looked at the blanket, definitely catching the smirk. Yeah, he hadn’t noticed but now he did- this guy was  _ defined _ . Not built, but his pecs were  _ nice _ and he had more definition than Sixty did by a longshot.   
  


“Whatever, just- sit there until I’m done.” Looking away, he focused on getting all the food in, especially the shit that needed frozen. He put everything away, before heading back into the living room- then past it. “I doubt I have much that’ll fit you, we’ll have to go buy you some clothes.”

  
  


“Alright.” He felt eyes on him but didn’t meet them. Instead, he took a brief moment to collect himself in his room. Alright, the black leopard he had been with for three weeks  _ finally _ shifted, and he was- he was a  _ lot _ . More than Sixty was expecting. He didn’t know why, but he thought he would look more like… Well, Sixty wasn’t sure. Nines maybe? Yeah, he figured he’d look more like Nines.  
  


Calm and lethal-looking, elegant maybe, something- besides him. Not that he looked bad, not at fucking all, he just was so different than what he expected. He grabbed some sweatpants and then one of his large extra long shirts. It was a soft pink, but sometimes he wanted to feel cute, he couldn’t be blamed for that.  
  


He took those clothes down, handing them to the man on his couch. “ _ Pink? _ ” The question was curious, not judgemental, but he still felt defensive.  
  


“Yes, pink. I like wearing pink sometimes, problem with it?” Grey eyes met his, grinning after a moment before they trailed over his body. The tension melted, and he felt like he was being stripped right there.

  
  


“Lilac would fit you better.” Like that, the guy pulled his shirt on, snug around his chest but loose below it. Sixty should’ve  _ known _ to turn away, but he didn’t, not in time at least, as the guy stood and the blanket fell away. He saw enough to know he wasn’t fucking  _ small _ .  
  
Sixty sat down instead, waiting for the other to do the same. “Alright, go ahead, I know you have questions.” His voice was rough, like he was used to yelling, not speaking through a smirk like he  _ definitely _ was. Glancing over, he looked- he looked so  _ soft _ despite the beard and scars.   
  


“You fucking bet- let’s start with the basics. What the hell is your name?”  
  


“Well I mean,  _ kitten _ wasn’t too bad, but it’s Gavin. And I’m guessing your name isn’t really Sixty?”

  
  


Making a sour face at that, he sighed deeply. “It’s not. It’s Cain, but I just go by Sixty. I’d prefer it.”  
  


“That’s fine. Kinda mysterious, I dig it. Yeah, mine’s just  _ Gavin _ , Gavin Reed actually, not that, ya know, shifters’ last names matter.”   
  


He winced a little at that, but held his hand out. “Well then, Gavin Reed, it’s actually nice to finally fucking meet you.”   
  


Gavin blinked, then laughed, taking his hand and shaking it. “Damn right. You were pretty smart though to find ways to communicate without my voice. You used to doing that?”   
  


Shrugging, he tried to figure out how to respond to that. “I don’t make a habit of taking in strays. In my personal life or my professional one.” Looking over he could tell the meaning got across, Gavin leaning back with one leg crossed over the other.

  
  


“Noticed that… I have to ask- what on  _ Earth _ made you think taking in a  _ panther _ was a good idea? I’m not a house cat, that’s for damn sure.” Sixty did not have his eyes glued to the man’s tongue poking out, or his grin that showed off all of his sharp teeth. He did  _ not _ .  
  


“You needed help. I- I did this job because I had to, and somewhere along the line, I fell in love with the idea of actually helping people… That hasn’t stopped, though how much I like this job…” He trailed off, shaking his head and sitting forward. He missed how grey eyes focused on him, turning softer, but he caught the tone shift in the other’s voice.  
  


“Well, without you, I don’t think I would’ve made it. So uh, thanks. A lot. About the whole uh- staying thing… Do you really not mind if I just hang around? For reasons- I can’t get back to my home.” No, Sixty didn’t mind at all, turning to grin at Gavin.  
  


“You going to continue that horrendous fucking noise at three in the morning?”

  
  


That got Gavin to laugh, his smirk wide and Sixty could only think of those fangs doing some  _ damage _ . “No- no, I only did that to fuck with you. I kinda liked getting you all riled up.”   
  


Rolling his eyes at that, he leaned to lightly punch Gavin’s arm. “You’re such a prick. But yeah, offer’s still open. We’ll have to be careful though, if Connor or Nines come over, you have to hide. Both of them work with other big cats- they’ll hunt you out in a moment.”   
  


Gavin hissed at that idea, but nodded. “No I understand- and I’ll try to help out around here too. Hey, now we both can fail at cooking.”  
  


Sixty faked a shocked gasp, holding a hand over his heart. “Fail at cooking! Fuck you, at least I cooked!”  
  


“We ate spaghetti for like three days! I’m not saying I could do better but  _ three days _ , you made  _ that _ much spaghetti!”

  
  


Huffing, he moved to launch himself at the other, hands trying to find ticklish spots. Gavin seemed shocked for a second before that melted into a gigglish laughter as Sixty tickled along his thighs. “Hey no- wait- fuck- sorry! Sorry! I won’t-  _ bahahaha! _ ” His words broken with hiccuped laughs, Sixty kept at it until they rolled off the couch. Moving quickly, he got up, grabbing a pillow to arm himself.  
  


“Just for that,  _ you _ get to cook for the next two days!”   
  


Gavin whined from his spot on the floor, slowly getting up. “Ugh,  _ fine _ , but only because it’ll be something different at least.”  
  


“Fuck you!”  
  


“You wish!” They both were silent, but Sixty broke first, giggling as Gavin snorted a bit after, sitting back down. Joining him after a moment, they both settled as whatever show came back on.

  
  


Then Gavin nudged him, causing him to look over. “Here’s to being roommates.”  
  


There was a small grin as he replied. “Yeah, to  _ continuing _ to be roommates. You’re a shitlord, Gavin.”   
  


“Takes one to know one.”


	4. Chapter 4

It turned out, in his perfectly healthy human form, Gavin didn’t need to eat him out of house and home. They eventually came up with a normal shopping list together, and Sixty went out for everything. Sure, the last month had taken a toll on his savings, but it wasn’t like he was spending it on anything but video games anyways. He came home with normal food and plenty of clothes for the other.  
  


Gavin decided to stay on the couch, and Sixty got him his own blankets and pillows. Mornings weren’t started with sawing, but rather the smell of eggs or french toast, and Sixty wasn’t sure he’d ever been this spoiled before. Gavin rolled his eyes at the comment but it was  _ true _ . The minute he could, Sixty had left his family, wanting to be on his own.   
  


And they just- hung out. A few days passed and Sixty got a peaceful day off, and they spent it getting to know each other over food and cleaning. Gavin wasn’t that complicated. Definitely used to being human rather than panther, and he was pretty damn smart too. Gavin liked to watch horror movies and used to play around on his phone a lot. He was educated, though how was beyond Sixty, and besides not knowing how to cook, he actually knew how most things worked.

  
  


Sixty was a detective- he knew that Gavin had to have lived with someone before, and he hoped whomever was at his home wasn’t too worried right now. In turn, he answered Gavin’s questions too. He wasn’t ashamed that he spent his free time playing video games or jogging. Gavin asked about his family, his work, and Sixty answered as much as he could.  
  


“So let me get this straight- Shelterlife assigned  _ a fucking lion _ to your brother, and a  _ cheetah _ to the SWAT captain- to round up loose shifters? What the  _ fuck- _ that’s messed up! Why are they even listening?!” Sixty had yet to see Gavin angry, but it definitely seemed that way now, grey eyes glinting and his nails a little sharper.  
  


“They don’t have a choice, and I think they’re just happy for the freedom they’ll do anything to keep it… Then again, the lion- Hank- he just doesn’t give a  _ fuck _ either way. Never met a guy more chill.” Sixty shrugged, waiting for the next question, he could already see it coming.  
  


“And what about you? It sounds like you just got screwed over-”  
  


“I refused.”

  
  


There was a brief moment of silence, then Sixty jumped as he looked over for Gavin to be much closer. “You refused a partner that could track down any suspect and is a walking blood lab?”  
  


“I refused using a  _ person _ like that, making them wear that fucking collar. Maybe Allen and Hank were fine with it, but I wasn’t subjecting anyone else to that. I- you guys are  _ people _ too, you’re not fucking pets.” Sixty’s voice devolved into a growl, only diffused by Gavin’s laughter.   
  


“Damn right we aren’t. So I’m guessing you’re pretty anti-Shelterlife then.”  
  


“As if taking you into my house, letting several others fuck off, and laughing at the buildings catching fire wasn’t a good enough indicator.”  
  


“Touche.” 

  
  


They finished cleaning the kitchen then, and Sixty turned to the other. “Any other questions?”   
  


Gavin paused, humming before nodding. He walked over to the stairs, grinning at Sixty. “Yeah, show me your rig, I wanna play.”   
  


Sixty couldn’t have rolled his eyes harder but he moved past him, heading up the stairs. With only two doors, he went into the one that was cracked open, and immediately turned on the LED strips, the yellow tone of the room shifting to green and back to yellow in waves.  
  


“ _ Damn _ , this is so cool!”   
  


Sixty grinned, just a little proud as he sat down, his shelf for his streaming equipment behind him as he turned the chair. “Dual monitor, high specs, streaming camera with autofocus, pop-reduction mic, and surround-sound headphones. Also got a VR headset if you ever want to try that out. But yeah, come here and I’ll show you how everything works.”   
  
  
Getting out of the chair, Gavin took his spot in a second, and he settled on the back of the chair. For his credit, Gavin took to everything quickly. Sixty ran him through what games he had, mostly shooters and a few RPG games, and he smiled when the other was stuck on one of his favorites. It was just a shooter team-fight game, but he liked the characters and the tactics of it.  
  


Hours passed before  _ Sixty’s _ stomach grumbled. Gavin had even won a few matches, and Sixty was actually getting into watching him play. “Hey hey, up, food time. Let’s turn this off for the night.” Nodding, he watched Gavin turn it off like he instructed and smiled, leading the way out.   
  


“That was so fun- I haven’t ever done something like that.”  
  


“Yeah? Well, if you want, go ahead and watch some gaming videos on YouTube and I’ll let you pick out some games for yourself. And yeah, you’re welcome to play whenever I’m not home. If you want to stream, my info and everything is in a drawer, let me do you an introduction first though ‘cause I have a few subs.” Gavin nodded, and they both busied about the kitchen.

  
  


Settling with some stir fry, they both sat on the couch. As routine, they watched the news, now both openly expressing smug glee as Shelterlife was raided once more. “So I have to ask,” Gavin started, looking over at Sixty, “what’s your opinion on Markus?”  
  


Sixty thought about the wolf leader of Jericho. “He’s cute but not really my type.” He got kicked for that, Gavin groaning. “Ey that was good, fuck you- but really- uh… I guess it goes with the whole wolf thing, but I think he’s brave. I think they’ll win. A lot of people are on their side, and the guy flipped a car with that one blonde to protect people. He’s pretty cool.”  
  


“Not your type- you’re such a shit. You really think he’s good though?”   
  


Sixty nodded, looking at Gavin. “And you- I know you support winning your freedom, but how do you feel about Jericho?”   
  


Gavin went quiet, and Sixty watched his greys become stormy. “Like I want to go there, but I don’t belong. As you can tell, I’ve had it mostly easier than others. I was able to hide who and what I was for a long time. But I still want to- help, I guess. I don’t know.”

  
  


Sixty reached over, rubbing the other’s back. “They’d be happy to have you regardless. But don’t go if you’re not ready to. You’re welcome to stay here- even if the revolution takes years.” Sixty offered him a smile then, glad to see Gavin return it.  
  


“Yeah yeah, quit being sappy, it’s fucking weird.”  
  


“You’re such a bitch.”

  
  


The night passed quickly, and Sixty had to go to bed. He missed being on the couch with Gavin, but he had work in the morning, and he knew he’d need to take a shower too. Of course, sleep never came easy for him, but he got a decent amount for once, at least more than four hours. He was quiet as he got ready, but still, the smell of eggs and toast filled the air when he came out of the bathroom.  
  


“I’m never getting tired of waking up to this,” he mumbled, going for the coffee already made. “Thanks Gav,” he said, taking a sip of it without adding anything.   
  


Gavin was dressed in sleep clothes, which consisted of a pair of boxers and a tank top. Not for the first time did Sixty look him up and down.  
  


Stupidly handsome panther. “You’re welcome dipshit- much better than letting you leave a zombie.” He put a plate down, and Sixty sat down in front of it. Eating together quietly, Sixty jumped when a hand reached over, tucking some loose hairs back. “Show me tonight how to stream?”  
  


Fuck- he was so warm and Sixty wanted to lean into the touch. As it was, he batted Gavin’s hand away, smiling and rolling his eyes. “Yes yes, I’ll teach you how to stream when I get home. Behave until then.”  
  


“As if.”

  
  


Work was nothing new. Hank and Connor were barely there; if what he heard was true, Hank had chased down some human running with a gang of cat shifters. Just to be kind to the old man, Sixty left him some beef jerky on his desk, and moved on with his day.  
  


He did finally get to see Nines and his partner. Allen was- something else. The cheetah was attentive, watching everything, and when he got close to Sixty, there was a momentary lapse of fear. He showered in the morning, making sure to spray something to cover up Gavin’s scent completely. He wouldn’t let him be found out.  
  


“I didn’t expect you to wear something citrus-y.” Blinking, he realized the other meant his spray. It was some kind of citrus and raspberry scent- he liked it because it smelled tart and honestly it was strong without being overly  _ perfumey _ .   
  


“I didn’t expect you to get so close.” Allen was handsome, damn handsome, curious eyes and lots of build to him. In SWAT gear, which Sixty wasn’t sure he was  _ supposed _ to be wearing but he wasn’t questioning Nines on it, he looked built but yet it was obvious he was ready to move at a second’s notice.

  
  


Nines cut in then, his younger brother almost looking  _ embarrassed, _ and Sixty’s curiosity spiked. Especially as he gently grabbed Allen’s vest and pulled him back by it. “He’s not used to being with others- personal space doesn’t exist in his dictionary.” Allen rolled his eyes at the words but didn’t move, even when Nines’ hand dropped.  
  


“It’s no biggie Ninesy, just make sure he doesn’t do that again. I like not being sniffed.” He tried to joke, and Allen made a noise at being talked over. Sixty didn’t know where they stood though- he didn’t think Nines would do this to begin with. But here he clearly was.  
  


“Understood- if you don’t mind though, we were just on our way out. Are you doing anything tonight?”   
  


Sixty’s mind immediately went to Gavin, features softening despite his best efforts to keep blank. “Yeah, teaching someone how to use a streaming setup. Why?”

  
  


Nines blinked, before shaking his head. “Nevermind- was just going to come over with Allen but if you’re busy no worries.”   
  


That sparked a bit of alarm, and he was glad he didn’t react. “Honestly my house is a wreck, I’ll be over at their place for it. Thanks though, you two have a good night. I’ll uh, let you know if you can come over any time soon.”  
  


Sighing heavily at the  _ ‘wreck’ _ part, his brother just turned away, motioning for Allen to come with. Sixty watched them both walk away, conversing among each other, and then went back to work. He’d have to come up with a better lie next time. 

  
  


After that though, the day passed by rather peacefully. He never got to talk to Connor, and he didn’t get any big cases, just doing paperwork and dealing with one assault. He suspected the captain was holding cases back after he came back empty-handed so many times, but it didn’t bug him too much. He got paid the same either way, and if she didn’t want someone damn well capable handling cases, that was her problem.  
  


He went home with the same mindset, hanging up his coat and taking his shoes off only to smell something from the kitchen. He followed his nose, finding Gavin making grilled ham and cheese and some kind of soup. “Hey Sixty,” the other started, not even turning around. “Figured we’d eat before you taught me how things worked- I saw this on tv and wanted to try and make it.”  
  


Sixty hummed, coming beside him to get bowls. “Well it smells really fucking good. Thanks.” Playfully nudging the other with his shoulder, he set everything to the side and got out a drink for both of them. 

  
  


Gavin plated the food and they sat together in the living room. Passing over the drink, he nodded thanks and Sixty turned on the news. There wasn’t much new, but it was still noise, both eating peacefully. Gavin was done first, just relaxing until Sixty finished. He didn’t even get the chance to speak before Gavin took the empty plates and stuff. “Alright alright, I get it. Meet you upstairs then.”  
  


Heading into the room, he went to sit down before remembering to get Gavin a seat. He ended up pulling out a folding chair from the closet, setting it up beside his gaming chair, and waited for Gavin to come in.  
  


“Alright, since I don’t normally start streams for another hour, let’s run over all the functions now.”

  
  


Gavin was attentive and quick to learn, a few test run games and he was already getting better. “You practice on this one while I was gone?”  
  


“Yeah, I had some dude raging at me earlier too, it was hilarious.” Gavin snickered briefly. “He called me gay and I said  _ ‘gee, thanks for noticing’ _ and the room got really talkative then.”   
  


Sixty winced, rolling his eyes but still feeling bad Gavin already had to deal with toxicity. “Yeah, a lot of them are pricks on these games. Just don’t let it stick to you, it’s not like they’re any better.”  
  


“Oh they’re  _ definitely _ not.” Gavin had no right to purr those words out, making Sixty swallow and feeling heat curl in very unfortunate places. He still wasn’t going to acknowledge that the other was very definitely attractive. And gay. Fuck he was gay and Sixty could have a chance- that was very dangerous thinking that he quickly shot down.

  
  


“Anyways, stream’s about to start, let’s get in. You remember everything I said?”  
  


“Yeah yeah, no need to go over it again.” A hand rested on his leg under the desk, Sixty inhaling sharply even as Gavin leaned in. This panther was going to be the death of him.  
  


When the stream started, Sixty did his normal routine, ignoring the questions as to who Gavin was already. His stream name was  _ SixtyHeadshots60 _ , same for most of his usernames in game too, and when he was finished, he set up Gavin’s game to load.  
  


“As most of you guys noticed, I do have someone else with me. Introduce yourself,” he paused, and Gavin pushed in. He noticed how bright and mischievous his grin looked, his eyes matching the chaotic energy Gavin just seemed to radiate.

  
  


“Hey everyone in dipshit’s stream,” that got a brief  _ ‘hey!’ _ from Sixty, but they already arranged what was ok and what wasn’t. “I’m VinVersus, or you all can just call me Vin.”  
  
“Or dumbass.”  
  


“Fuck you.” He got lightly elbowed, grinning at Gavin’s momentary glare that even he couldn’t maintain. “I’m mostly going to play some shooters and horror games, and I’ll either be crashing this one’s streams or doing some of my own when he isn’t around!”  
  


Sixty nodded, getting up and taking the headset off. Gavin got in his seat, putting it on and grinning at Sixty. He got a small thumbs up before playing, and Sixty spoke from the side.

  
  


“He’s still new at most games, and this is his first time streaming, so if you guys could show him how it works around here that would be great.” He kept an eye on the chat and the gameplay, and soon minutes, then an hour, passed. It was reading chat that he realized how close he was leaning towards Gavin and corrected himself, looking away, but for his first day he was… honestly not doing bad.  
  


Everyone spammed bits just to see Gavin react to the cup fill up, several times getting distracted and then shot for it. His cheerful approach clashed with the couple times he’d absolutely lose it, getting even Sixty to laugh at the angry little growls he let out. And then when he did talk with chat, everyone liked him. The shit even managed to get a few subs that weren’t just resubs.  
  


All in all, when that was it for the night, he let Gavin close out the stream, just waving to everyone. “So?”  
  


“That was fucking great! I wanna keep doing that.”

  
  


Sixty nodded, putting everything away this time so they could get out quicker. “Like I said, you’re welcome to do so. Now you know how to start and everything. There are two chat mods so you won’t have to worry about moderating chat, just remember to actually talk with them and shit. You’ll get the hang of it though. Hell, you’re more social than me, you might even get some buddies to play with.”  
  


When Sixty turned, Gavin had his head tilted, eyebrows knit tight and eyes narrowed. It made the scar along his nose wrinkle just a bit, and Sixty couldn’t stop the  _ ‘cute’ _ he heard internally. “Whaddya mean? I figured if one of us is social it was you, being ya know, law and all.”  
  


That got an actual laugh, Sixty moving past him then. “Hardly. You’re pretty much the only person outside of the family I actually like. Being social to a chat is a lot less- stress I guess- than actually talking and hanging out with others. I’ve never been a people person.”

  
  


He heard the second set of feet following him as he went downstairs to relax on the couch, but then a hand took his arm, turning him gently. “Why be a cop then? Or detective rather.”  
  


“As I’ve told you before- I wanted to make a difference. And it was expected of me. I like- protecting people. Idiots like you included.” He poked the other’s nose for effect, getting a soft growl and frown. “I didn’t think this would be such a big surprise- I don’t exactly have people over or get that many calls.”  
  


He saw how Gavin looked down, lost in thought before huffing. Then an arm was slung around his shoulder, and Gavin’s grin was  _ blinding _ . Mischievous, but bright as hell. “Well, I’ll consider myself honored then. And less competition.”  
  


That had Sixty mirroring his expression, though his included a much more pronounced head tilt. His whole family did that, Sixty couldn’t help but think that at some point they were trained like dogs. “Competition?”  
  


“Yeah, for your time? As I see it, I just got myself a new buddy who only has work to worry about. That means I get to bug you at any other time, even after all this shit passes.”   
  


Sixty choked at the original part, actually moving away and pushing Gavin’s arm off. Curse his stupid, useless organ of a heart. “You’re a fucking dork.”   
  


“Yeah I am!”


	5. Chapter 5

Things continued to progress. At least, for Gavin. Sixty watched as his stream continued to get more viewers, some he absolutely knew were simps. Sixty always dressed cozy- not too much skin showing but rather what people called cute- much to his dismay.   
  


Gavin however had no shame, as Sixty found out. He’d often check in on the streams through work, and Gavin’s state of dress, or lack of, was always a shock. Gavin either wore the bare minimal, something extremely tight, or _nothing_ at all. And it continued to gain more and more attention, especially as he didn’t shy away from requests to ‘show off’.  
  


Sixty’s mind had never been more tormented, knowing he _lived_ with a chiseled statue everyday. One that was gay and could very much be into him, if the way Gavin took care of him was any indicator.

  
  


And that was another thing- Gavin started cooking more. Sixty blamed the mid-day shows he watched, but the fucker would always spoil him with something. Didn’t always turn out right, but it was _fun_ . His gay heart was in knots trying to figure out the meaning of it all, and the few times the topic was addressed in chat, Gavin would brush it off.  
  


It was almost enough to distract him. But not quite. He knew, as he took his after work walks, that he was being watched. Followed. _Stalked_ , even, but not in the creepy admirer way. He felt like prey under this gaze, and became more and more reluctant to actually go on the walks.  
  


At the same time he became more determined to do so too. He was a fucking detective, armed with something at all times. He wasn’t backing down- if someone had a problem, they could fucking take it up with him. A few times he’d stop, turn, and only spot a cat or two, but he didn’t think much of it. It wasn’t the same cat after all, and he doubted any shifter would be dumb enough to come up to him with Gavin’s scent on him.

  
  


So it was that day as well, over two weeks after Gavin started streaming. It was cold, Sixty pulling a sweater on that was a couple sizes too big just in case his run wouldn’t warm him up enough. He got plenty of workout earlier, actually having to chase someone for once, but it was actually nice out as snow blanketed the place, an early storm sweeping through.   
  


Gavin was taking a nap at the moment, the mound on the couch moving up and down slightly as he had switched to his leopard form to _‘stretch it out’_ . Something Sixty didn’t understand and wouldn’t try to. He just rubbed the other’s head and headed out, making sure to lock up as he did. Then he was on his way.  
  


The air was nippy, hitting against his exposed skin and making him hiss as he started down the sidewalk. It was a simple run- down to the store, grab a drink, over to the one park, and then back. Of course, as soon as he got to the end of his neighborhood he felt eyes on him, the hair on the back of his neck standing up and shivering from that feeling alone.

  
  


He ignored it, as he often did, and continued. It was as he got past a blighted house, after hitting up the store for a drink, that he actually heard footsteps behind him. Turning, he was just in time to catch another cat, squinting at it and meeting its eyes. Just in case it was a shifter, he flipped the cat off. “Go away,” he said firmly, yet the cat didn’t move. It was cream this time, some kind of short hair tabby.   
  


Turning around, he shook his head and continued. Just in case he messaged Gavin, telling him to be careful if he went outside because there were other shifters. What he didn’t expect, as he slowed down to read the response, was a bat to connect with his back. He went forwards, onto his knees, his half written reply on a now cracked screen forgotten.  
  


His focus went onto turning over, facing what was definitely a human. His baseball cap hid his hair, but he could tell from the eyes that he wasn’t a shifter. But he was wielding a bat. Sixty struggled, catching the next blow that would’ve knocked him out, as two others joined them.

  
  


Looking at them, they were both blondes, one with some wicked scarring on his face and the other with scarring over his eye and cheek. What was most noticeable was the pair of ears and tails on both of them, and the gang symbol tattooed around their necks in lieu of a collar. Not Jericho, but still shifters, unlike the first.  
  


He scrambled back to his feet after kicking the human in the gut. “Look, I don’t want no trouble.”   
  


The black tailed one stepped up first, tail swishing behind him. “Shoulda thought about that before using one of our own against us. Rup, grab him. You too Ral.”   
  


It took Sixty three minutes after he started struggling against the two before he figured out what that meant. Just as he swung, catching the human in the face, he shouted at the leader. “You’ve got the wrong twin jackass!” Unfortunately, that cost him getting pounced and pinned down by the other cat.

  
  


It was uncomfortable, cream colored tail high and proud in the air. “Ralph got him! Ralph did good, right Dannie?” He was definitely pinned down, the guy sitting on him practically.  
  


“Would you chucklefucks _listen?_ I’m not Connor!” Ralph didn’t listen, ‘Dannie’ just walked forwards with a scowl and the other rubbed his face. His lip was split open, but Sixty couldn’t pay attention to that.  
  
Not as a foot came down onto his chest, pinning him with increasing pressure. “You smell like a wild cat shifter and shit, you look like the annoying detective, and you have the same last name.”   
  
  
Well, he could explain _two_ of those at least. “I’m his fucking twin you dirt licking asshole. I hang out with him, of course I smell like him.” His voice was airy, breathless, as it was getting harder to breathe. Ralph kept him pinned down and Dannie pressed his foot down harder.  
  


“Sure you are. Ralph, get him up. We’re going to make an example of him- Jericho may be peaceful but we fucking aren’t.” As the one pinning him down moved, a deep growl echoed along the street. Sixty couldn’t see anything, but Dannie’s head swiveled. “What in the-”  
  


His sentence was cut short as a black leopard leapt out of the shadows with a loud hiss, knocking him down and raising his paw. “Gavin! Don’t!” Despite them being assholes, he didn’t want blood on Gavin’s hands.  
  
  
Several heads turned to Sixty and he pushed Ralph back in the confusion. Gavin’s hulking form left the leader, stalking towards Ralph with a menacing rumble. Understandably, the smaller shifter fucked off, scrambling away from Sixty and letting him get to his knees.  
  


His first instinct was to calm Gavin, running his hands down the other’s back. “Hey- hey it’s okay, dude, I’m fine.” Gavin arched into his touch, and he moved to his ears, knowing just where to pet and scratch.  
  


“Fucking- that’s- that’s not a lion.” Dannie looked pretty terrified, and there was a petty part of him proud about that.  
  


“No shit. This is my _roommate_ , as I would’ve explained if you weren’t stepping on my fucking chest. Puffed up little furballs- I’m not Connor so fuck off to whatever alley you crawled out of.” There was another growl, and Sixty felt it in his _hands_ , coming from Gavin as he finished speaking.

  
  


“You- fuck off! I’m not afraid of- _ah!_ ” Dannie took a step forward as he spoke, and Gavin swiped, jaw audibly clacking as he bit at the air in front of him. The result was a very comedic yelp and Dannie falling on his ass, only barely held up by Ralph.  
  
“Oh, you shouldn’t be afraid of me. My friend however, well, his pretty teeth aren’t just for show.” Sixty’s smirk was barely hidden as he laid his head on Gavin’s back, and he hoped he radiated how smug he felt right then.  
  


“Ralph thinks we should leave… This is not Connor.”  
  


“No shit.”  
  


The glare he was leveled with had no effect now, but he did grin at the resigned sigh Dannie gave out as he motioned for the other’s to fall back with him. “None of you Andersons are good- this isn’t the last time you’ll see us around.”

  
  


Sixty pouted, scratching Gavin behind his right ear. “Pity. Have a good night.” He got flipped off, but the three left. It was still something awe-inspiring and yet gruesome to which a shifter turn mid stride, two cats running along with one human. A Siamese and a cream tabby. To think he got his ass beat by Mittens and Sugar.  
  


Still, he pulled away, sighing as he held Gavin’s face. “I’m sorry you had to come save my ass,” he started, not meeting the other’s eyes. He could feel and _hear_ him shift, not looking because he gave out little pained whines yet. At some point he explained it was because he normally only shifted once a month- if he shifted more often it wouldn’t hurt as much.  
  


“Don’t be sorry dipshit- been a while since I had that much fun.” Looking at him, he shouldn’t have been surprised he was shirtless, but he was. Quickly, he tore off his own sweater, pulling it over Gavin’s shoulders.  
  


“Fucking hell- it’s not that warm out here! Come on, let’s get you home.” Sixty stood up, looking around for his phone. Now reading the reply he could’ve scoffed, _‘you good?’_ between the cracks. 

  
  


“Lemme guess, my lack of response set off the ‘oh shit’ reaction?” Arms wrapped around him from behind, causing Sixty to go red in the face.  
  


“Yep. That and you were late coming back. It’s not hard for me to track down scents I’m used to.” This felt way too intimate, yet Sixty couldn’t actually read if Gavin meant it that way or not. Either way, he was so fucking _warm_ against his back. It felt nice.  
  
“Good to know. They thought I was my brother- which sucks. Not the first time that’s happened but like… I don’t know, wish it wouldn’t. I’m obviously not him.” He was pouting a bit, finally pulling away to start walking home. Gavin stayed beside him, humming a bit, and when Sixty looked over he knew he was being checked out.  
  


But Gavin didn’t say anything until they got back to their place. The door closed behind them and Gavin slid up to Sixty’s side, grin all too teasing as he looked up at Sixty. “No, you’re not him. You’re cuter.” Two words- two words were all it took for Sixty to go bright red, pushing at the other’s face as he went to the kitchen.

  
  


“Jackass, you’ve never even met him!” Still, he knew from the cackle behind him that _that_ wasn’t the point.  
  


“Still would think that! Anyways, it’s your stream day yeah? Can I watch?” Sixty sighed, nodding as he got another drink from the fridge, one of his favorite energy drinks.  
  


“Yeah yeah- just cut the shit though- fucking- I know you’re making me red on purpose.”   
  


Gavin raised his hands, face twisted in a lazy grin. “Guilty as charged. It’s fun to see you transform into a tomato.”   
  


Flipping Gavin off, he chugged the drink and took it with him upstairs. Even if Gavin was closer than usual, touching him more, he refused to go any brighter shade of red.  
  


Hopefully.

* * *

“Sixty!”  
  


The man paused, head tilting as Gavin called out from the streaming room. It wasn’t often he did that, so he put his dish down that he was cleaning and went over. Popping his head in the room, he was all too aware of the fact he was only in a loose t-shirt and sweatpants. It was his two days off, and he planned to clean, relax, and stream tomorrow.  
  


And maybe, after Gavin was done, offer to take them both out to eat. It would probably have to be drive-through or something, but he wanted to try.   
  


Gavin was still streaming and playing, the little _‘On Air’_ sign he had for shits and giggles actually coming in handy as he stood out of the way of the camera. “Whaddya want shitlord?”

After the round ended, Gavin grinned, facing Sixty now. “Come ‘ere. You good with getting on camera for a couple minutes- I got a fifty to do something.”  
  


Sixty sighed, but pulled up his chair, before Gavin stopped him, his grin widening. “Nope, sit _here_ .” As he patted his leg, Sixty couldn’t help but go red already.  
  


“What the fuck are you guys asking Vin to do?” He still did as told, facing the stream now. He looked at the chat, seeing various _‘omfg he’s doing it’_ and _‘someone bet me gift subs that Sixty loses it’_ and the likes, only raising his suspicion. “ _Vin_ ,” Sixty drew out, about to turn.  
  


Then a hand snaked up his shirt, easily seen through the fabric as Sixty was pulled into Gavin’s chest. Despite having height on the other, Gavin was _broad_ . Not overly so that it was annoying, but enough his arms wrapping around him made him feel effectively trapped.   
  


Which felt _good_. “Alright- if I get punched for this I’m screaming on mic.” 

  
  


Before he could get out the _‘punched for what’_ , Gavin fucking _nuzzled_ into his neck, the hand not in his shirt cupping his face. Which had entirely gone _bright_ red, down to his neck, stiffening and locking up. That was all that happened though, and whatever Gavin said after, he wasn’t exactly paying attention to it.  
  


Simply because he was reeling from everything. Gavin’s hands dropped, but his heart was still racing, and the way the other shifted… His thoughts were scattered to the wind besides a deep want for _more_ and that was a problem. “Earth to Sixty- did I break you? Someone said to tease you on stream- was it too much? Sixty?”  
  


The note of concern snapped him out of it, and embarrassment at being caught overwhelmed the want to push Gavin’s hands right back where they were. “Chat- you are a bunch of shitlords too,” he grumbled, reaching back to push Gavin’s shirt up over his face as he got off his lap quickly.

He was not staying in here- a cold shower and then a session of frustrated screaming into his pillow seemed in order. “Sixty,” was whined from behind him, and he heard the headset being placed down before he was caught in the hallway.  
  


“Sixty, wait- seriously… Are you- was that too far? I- I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable or anything.”   
  


Turning, he faced Gavin, and his heart twisted at the look of worry on his face. “Dude, no, for fifty I expected you to kiss me or something- or get my shirt off. I was just surprised man- plus it’s you and-” Sixty clicked his mouth shut, looking away. For a few moments silence permeated between them, awkward, and he was about to back away when a hand cupped his face. Gently, he was forced to look at Gavin.  
  


And the look he got back did nothing to quell the heat in his gut. “You are really fucking cute when you’re flu-” Panicking, because he did _not_ have the mental capacity to unpack this right now, he put both hands over Gavin’s mouth with a glare.

  
  


“Stream’s still going dumbass. I’m getting a shower, go fuck off.” He pulled back then, turning before he could be convinced otherwise and escaping to the shower, a low chuckle behind him.   
  


By the time he was done, he felt a bit calmer, cuddling on the couch and relaxing. It was a couple of hours before Gavin joined him. He waited for that side to dip, but instead the grown ass man laid down, his head on Sixty’s leg. “Oh fuck off you insufferable clawed demon- I will push you off this couch.”  
  


“I’m not doing anything and you’re warm!” Gavin’s voice was much too cheerful, but Sixty wasn’t rising to the bait any further. He, better than anyone, could ignore his emotions and pretend they didn’t exist- if it was possible, he’d flip an off switch on them entirely at times. So he just covered them both with a blanket.  
  


“What do you want to eat- let’s order delivery.” Gavin whooped, and nothing else happened. It was confusing and frustrating and- still, he didn’t want this to stop. Whatever they were, he liked it. He liked Gavin.  
  


Oh. _Fuck.  
_

__


	6. Chapter 6

“What do you mean, they’re just  _ gone?! _ ”  
  


Sixty wouldn’t lower his voice, wouldn’t back down from the glare he got from the brown eyes of his captain. He was seething, concern mingling with anger and fear and  _ fuck _ being emotionless. He could feel Nines’ hand on his back, concerned as always. It had been a few days, maybe a week, since the incident with the gang, and he was concerned.  
  


“As in, since around one A.M. last night, Connor Anderson and his assigned shifter partner, Hank, have been missing. We,” she nodded to Nines, and Sixty turned his heated glare onto the two beside him. Nines and Allen stood to the side, and both looked equal parts guilty as they did concerned. “Have come to the conclusion that either Hank broke free of his collar and kidnapped the detective, that they both ran, or that Connor may very well be dead.”  
  


“How can you say that so  _ coldly _ ?” Sixty’s voice was a hiss, and he stood straighter. Out of three he was used to being the ‘rock’, so to say. He didn’t emote like the other two. While Nines was silent, he felt the most. It was an open secret that he just felt a  _ lot _ and couldn’t express it. And Connor- well he was so guarded and forcible with his ‘happy go lucky’ attitude- that when it broke, it broke like a dam. 

  
  


Sixty had never been one for tears or outward expressions of pain. It wasn’t that he was a hardass- he just grew up with the other two. The middle child of a disaster trio. His dislike for emotions in general only increased when he experienced them like this, clawing at his insides and making him hostile.  
  


“It’s not a high chance he’s dead, Detective. But in any case, he is missing. SWAT have turned up nothing after personally taking over the search, and no one else has found a thing on either of them. So, that leaves you, as the lieutenant is still out from his injury.”  
  


“Me to do  _ what _ ? I don’t have a partner, and I don’t see any surprise grown-ass adults in here.”  
  


He noticed Allen perk up at his phrasing but ignored it.

  
  


“To assist with the roundup. We have been given orders to assist in rounding up every single shifter- registered or not. All the precincts are to start work on this tonight- and since Nines has to lead his own team, you’ll have to lead this one.” Ice cold lead dropped in his stomach, weighing in at ten tons it felt like.  
  


A roundup. “Why? What are they doing with all those shifters?”  
  


Amanda’s eyes narrowed, as she sat down. “Does it matter?”  
  


“To me it does. I get that they’re just pets- but they’re still people’s pets. If I’m taking them from people’s hands, I want to know why.” A lie, a bold faced lie. Allen could easily call him out for it.  
  


But he didn’t, as the captain sighed. “I don’t honestly know Cain,” there was still a wince at hearing his name. “All I can tell you is what I was given. All collared domestics are to be rounded up and brought to the precinct to be shipped off, to what I can only presume to be Shelterlife centers. All collared non-domestics are to be neutralized with their collar, cuffed, and held separately from the others at the precinct, and we have to call those in immediately. As for anything without a collar- it’s to be killed on sight unless they surrender and allow you to collar it.”

  
  


Swallowing, he was glad that Amanda looked at her desk as she spoke. She couldn’t see how bad he tensed. “If anyone in our precinct objects to helping with this?” Voice flat, he was even more glad Amanda didn’t care to actually learn anything about those she worked with.  
  


“Send them to my office. This isn’t optional- you either help, or you can find a new job. It’s not illegal to not help, but I don’t want the agents that will be coming in finding anything wrong with my precinct.”  
  


Harsh. Sixty didn’t expect anything else. “Understood, Captain. Is there anything else?”  
  


She waved her hand at him. “No, you and Nines can go. If any info about Connor comes up I will let you both know.” He took his exit first, heading to his desk. He made it look like he was checking into Connor’s case, and when Nines approached him, he raised his hand.

  
  


It hurt, but he couldn’t talk to him right now. Too much in his head. “Later. Just- see me in a bit, alright?” Nines hummed, and then walked off with a deep sigh. It left Sixty to his thoughts. He saw the amount of people called in. The details for the round up. For Connor’s disappearance.  
  


And while he could use the time to find Connor, he doubted the other would be in trouble for long. He had someone much closer to worry about.  
  


Gavin was uncollared and non-domestic. He wouldn’t be able to explain this, they would go to his house. They’d find him, and he’d betray him. And that- it stung, burned, choked him out in thick plumes of non-tangible smoke of bridges burnt. He didn’t want to do any of this. It went against everything he believed in, and he knew stepping away wouldn’t do much.

  
  


But if he could protect Gavin, it was enough. He looked at his detective badge. Then at the gun on his hip. It wasn’t hard to make his decision once he thought of how often both had made him doubt himself. Opening his drawer, he put both in, turning off his terminal. Then he made his way up to the SWAT floor, hands stuffed in his pockets.  
  


It was a short walk for him to knock on Nines’ office door. It opened instantly, and Sixty grinned, although a little sheepish. “Can I come in?”  
  


“Of course,” Nines stepped aside, and Allen was sitting… on Nines’ desk, causing Sixty to blink at the  _ lack _ of gear right now. The lack of much anything, the man was wearing practically nothing with how it glued to his body. That wasn’t his focus now though, Sixty waiting for the door to close and Nines to walk in. Nines continued as they settled in the room. “I- I want you to know… I have reasons to believe Connor is safe… I can’t-”  
  


Sixty held up his hand, inhaling before he spoke. “Look, the less I know, the better right? So return the favor- after this conversation- don’t look for me.”

  
  


There was a silence, two pairs of intense eyes focused on him. “Sixty?”  
  


“I can’t do this, Nines. And I trust you not to tell the bitch downstairs- but I can’t do this. I- I have places I need to be, with others. I can’t help with this roundup. So- this is- goodbye I guess. Until I don’t know when.” Looking up, he met Nines’ eyes, readying to see- anything.  
  


He only met some deep level of understanding he had no idea of how to grasp. “Alright. I wish I could join you, or send Allen with you, but we both know that’s a bad idea… So I’ll see you later, and make sure to take care of yourself. I doubt Amanda is going to give the instruction to be  _ ‘nice’ _ .”  
  


Sixty nodded at that, and moved in, offering opened arms to the other. Nines of course took the offer, never one to initiate but always to return. As they pulled back, Sixty looked for something to say. It felt like more needed to be explained.  
  


“You should tell that panther of yours to relax with the scenting, by the way.”

  
  


Allen’s voice had him  _ choking _ . Sure, even he noticed how much more touchy Gavin got after that gang had jumped him, but he didn’t think about the implications. “I don’t know what you mean-” Nines looked between Allen and Sixty, his eyes curious.  
  


“Black leopard, to be exact. And very close to you- you practically reek of his claim. I’m almost intimidated just being in this room.” The cheetah looked all too proud of the red on Sixty’s face.  
  


“On that note, I’m leaving. Good luck, Nines.”   
  


Nines gaped, actual shock on his face. “I want to meet him when all this is done!” Sixty ignored the call out, and Allen’s amused laugh as he left the SWAT floor. Now he just had to get going.

  
  


Getting home was far too easy. Not that he expected it not to be, but it really just helped the fact of the matter sink in. Captain Stern didn’t care about any of them. He walked in, noticing Gavin awake and on the couch. “Woah, you’re home early.” His eager smile was so good, and Sixty only wanted to see it.  
  


Yeah, emotions fucking sucked, but he didn’t mind the warmth he felt when Gavin focused on him. Then it dropped as he realized what he’d have to do next. “Unfortunately. Gavin- go get your clothes together.” He had some clothes stashed away, and Sixty left him with that task to do the same.  
  


Ignoring the confusion on Gavin’s face was easy enough as his head went into ‘task mode’. He needed three backpacks- one for each of their clothes, and then one for food. Stuffing his backpack with clothes, making sure he had boxers most importantly, he dug through the hallway closet for a sleeping bag. It was hardly used, bought when the DPD had some kind of camp thing to go to.

  
  


He rolled it up and attached it to the bottom of his backpack, rolling a blanket inside it. Then he gathered the other two bags, another backpack for Gavin and a duffle bag for food, and headed downstairs. “Sixty- what’s going on?” This time the concern in his voice got to him, and his face dropped from its carefully stoic nature.  
  


“We… We have to go Gavin.” He handed the other his backpack, and Gavin dutifully placed his clothes in it. There were a lot less, so Sixty moved to get the first aid kit and put it in there as well as the blanket from the couch.  
  


“Go where, and what do you mean we?” Sixty moved to the kitchen, starting to get food they could eat along the way. He’d stop at the store and get more, and make sure to take out money too.   
  


“Sixty-” Gavin started again, and Sixty closed the door loudly, trying to keep from showing how damn scared he was at this. Giving up everything to make sure he kept Gavin safe.

  
  


“They’re going to start rounding up shifters tonight. The DPD and Shelterlife.” Turning to face Gavin, the other looked incredibly patient for someone Sixty knew wasn’t. “I was supposed to lead that effort for my precinct, as Connor is now missing. But I can’t. Gavin, I  _ can’t _ .” His voice broke, both anger and fear bleeding out in the small pitch.  “They’d have me kill you- and any other non-domestic that isn’t collared. And those who are are going to be locked up, again. I can’t go through with that- I’m not letting that happen to  _ you _ .” He heard the steps as Gavin came closer, but still winced at the hand on his shoulder.  
  


“Alright. Then let’s get ready together- but I’ll be protecting you just as much as you’re protecting me, dipshit. Once we leave this house, you’re stuck with me.” Looking up, he saw his stupidly confident grin.  
  


“Wouldn’t have it any other way. Now- go get dressed to go. I- don’t know where we’ll be going, so you’ll have to lead us.”

  
  


Gavin chuckled, but did as told, and Sixty finished up getting ready himself. Attaching his personal firearm to an underarm holster, he put on a coat, inhaling as he looked around. He hoped that Jericho acted soon, that they won, that he’d be coming back here with Gavin in tow.  
  


It didn’t stop the fear of the opposite though. “Alright, let’s get going. We probably can’t use your car huh- we might be able to get in with that gang that jumped you?”  
  


“It’s worth a shot, they at least won’t turn us in. And this time I’m armed if they try something.” Getting nudged by Gavin’s shoulder, Sixty threw his personal phone onto the couch and locked up behind them. 

  
  


From a distance, Gavin just looked human. His sharp eyes, teeth, and claws were easily hidden, especially with the little gloves he put on. “Alright, I’ll try to track those punks down. I’m guessing you want my phone?”  
  


“Yup, they could’ve tracked mine.” Gavin held over the phone and Sixty pocketed it, before he was pulled against Gavin’s side. They weren’t walking for long before Sixty already started to doubt this, as he heard sirens of some kind rushing down the road. “What- no- what the fuck…” His breath picked up, but Gavin shoved him into an alley, pressing against him.  
  


“Deep breaths- fire trucks, Sixty. Not cops.” His mind cleared up as the trucks came down the road and he looked away in embarrassment.  
  


“I’m just-”  
  


“Worried and jumpy. You’ve never done something like this- I get it. Just- in and out with me alright?” He mimicked Gavin’s breathing, and eventually calmed. “We got this. We’ll find safety okay, everything will be fine.”

  
  


The rock for everyone but Gavin, who was like a steady stream of confidence that just eroded him. “Alright alright- back up, you didn’t brush your teeth.” The sentence caught Gavin off guard, a laugh barking out of him and Sixty led the way out again.  
  


Now they walked together, arms brushing but much calmer, and he really had to thank Gavin for a lot after this. They came up on the reason the trucks were called, and got lost in the crowd that was watching. Sixty’s attention was grabbed just as effectively, wrapping his arm around Gavin’s.  Firefighters came in and out of the multi-floor building- it looked like apartments. Some helped obvious humans, some helped obvious  _ shifters _ , and even a few came out with cats or a dog in their arms. Sixty watched as they just  _ helped _ , and then started to spray the building once it was cleared by the shifters working for them.

  
  


It was something that stuck in his mind long after they passed the building and started hunting down the gang. It didn’t take too long to find them, and he got closer to Gavin as they came to a larger house, the fence in need of repair. “Wait,” Gavin said, voice low, and they stood outside of the fence.  
  


Then Sixty heard it, the low growl of a dog. “What do you two want?” she snapped out, and Sixty couldn’t see her but Gavin’s head was turned towards the left moreso, so he had to assume.  
  


“A place to crash. Where’s blondie, tell him the black leopard’s outside.” Sixty bit back a snort at the confidence, as steps ran off. It was a couple of minutes before the gate swung open, and there was Dannie again. His glare only intensified looking at them.

  
  


“Either you two are incredibly stupid or full of yourselves to come here. What do you really fucking want?” He at least looked better, Dannie’s cat tail matching the black t-shirt with some old TV show logo.  
  


“I didn’t stutter- we want a place to crash, alleycat.” Sixty could tell, even without Gavin’s sense of smell, that he was being a little shit and radiating smug energy again.  
  


“And why would we give you and the Connor clone a place to stay? Newsflash- he’s a detective, and you’re annoying.”  
  


“Aw thanks- and that’s because you could use all the help you could get.”   
  


The blonde scoffed, leaning against the gate now. “No, we don’t. Especially not from you two. Look, I don’t know what kind of ploy this is-”

  
  


Sixty cut in, tired of the back and forth. “Alright you puffed up lap warmer- we need a place to stay because tonight, there will be shit going down. And detective or not, I’m not going to be a part of it. So you can offer us a place, or tell us where to go- whichever floats your fucking boat- but we’re seriously not wasting all of our time getting the fuck outta dodge just so you can puff your chest.”  
  
Gavin looked at him, blinking a couple of times, but Sixty couldn’t address that. Or how his arm snuck around him and brought him closer.   
  


“Sheesh… Listen, I can’t help you two. We got enough heat on this place, and no offense, but most of us are hiding in our animal forms ‘cause it’s easier. You can’t shift, and he’s too big. So I can’t help you even if you bribed me… There’s a place across town if you can make it, towards the water on the outskirts. Lots of the more  _ peaceful _ ,” Sixty noted the distasteful hiss in the words, “ones head there when we start fighting.”  
  


It was more than he had to begin with, so he nodded. “Thanks. All I can say is to keep hiding. If you can, head into the woods, do whatever, just don’t get caught.”   
  


Dannie regarded him with a look, then sighed a bit. “Whatever. Now get going- I don’t want your  _ roommate _ to throttle me for looking at you.” Right, the scent thing. If anything, Gavin reacted by squeezing Sixty, and that did not help the red on his face.

  
  


So instead he started walking, ignoring that Gavin stuck his tongue out at the blonde before he caught up. “What’s his fucking problem?” was muttered lowly under Gavin’s breath and Sixty couldn’t help but laugh. It would be a long couple of days to walk over there safely, but he didn’t regret it. Especially as Gavin wrapped around him again.   
  


“The world may never know.”


End file.
